Paul McDougall
Information Week
Mon, 02 Feb 2009
Big Blue wants to help redundant U.S. employees relocate to developing markets, according to an internal document.
The climate is warm, there's no shortage of exotic food, and the cost of living is rock bottom. That's IBM's pitch to the laid-off American workers it's offering to place in India. The catch: Wages in the country are pennies-on-the-dollar compared to U.S. salaries.
Under a program called Project Match, IBM will help workers laid off from domestic sites obtain travel and visa assistance for countries in which Big Blue has openings. Mostly that's developing markets like India, China, and Brazil.
"IBM has established Project Match to help you locate potential job opportunities in growth markets where your skills are in demand," IBM says in an internal notice on the initiative. "Should you accept a position in one of these countries, IBM offers financial assistance to offset moving costs, provides immigration support, such as visa assistance, and other support to help ease the transition of an international move."
The document states that the program is limited to "satisfactory performers who have been notified of separation from IBM U.S. or Canada and are willing to work on local terms and conditions." The latter indicates that workers will be paid according to prevailing norms in the countries to which they relocate. In many cases, that could be substantially less than what they earned in North America.
IBM has laid off more than 4,000 workers in the United States since the beginning of January, according to an employee group. The company has confirmed layoffs but won't comment on specific numbers.
A spokesman for Alliance@IBM, a workers' group that's affiliated with the Communications Workers of America but which does not have official union status at IBM, slammed the program. "IBM is not only offshoring IBM U.S. jobs but they want employees to offshore themselves through Project Match," said the spokesman.
An IBM spokesman said the program shouldn't be seen in that light. "It's more of a vehicle for people who want to expand their life experience by working somewhere else," said the spokesman. "A lot of people want to work in India."
In addition to India, China, and Brazil, IBM is offering to relocate redundant U.S. workers to a number of other developing markets, including Mexico, the Czech Republic, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates, according to the notice, which was obtained Monday by Information Week.
The climate is warm, there's no shortage of exotic food, and the cost of living is rock bottom. That's IBM's pitch to the laid-off American workers it's offering to place in India. The catch: Wages in the country are pennies-on-the-dollar compared to U.S. salaries.
Under a program called Project Match, IBM will help workers laid off from domestic sites obtain travel and visa assistance for countries in which Big Blue has openings. Mostly that's developing markets like India, China, and Brazil.
"IBM has established Project Match to help you locate potential job opportunities in growth markets where your skills are in demand," IBM says in an internal notice on the initiative. "Should you accept a position in one of these countries, IBM offers financial assistance to offset moving costs, provides immigration support, such as visa assistance, and other support to help ease the transition of an international move."
The document states that the program is limited to "satisfactory performers who have been notified of separation from IBM U.S. or Canada and are willing to work on local terms and conditions." The latter indicates that workers will be paid according to prevailing norms in the countries to which they relocate. In many cases, that could be substantially less than what they earned in North America.
IBM has laid off more than 4,000 workers in the United States since the beginning of January, according to an employee group. The company has confirmed layoffs but won't comment on specific numbers.
A spokesman for Alliance@IBM, a workers' group that's affiliated with the Communications Workers of America but which does not have official union status at IBM, slammed the program. "IBM is not only offshoring IBM U.S. jobs but they want employees to offshore themselves through Project Match," said the spokesman.
An IBM spokesman said the program shouldn't be seen in that light. "It's more of a vehicle for people who want to expand their life experience by working somewhere else," said the spokesman. "A lot of people want to work in India."
In addition to India, China, and Brazil, IBM is offering to relocate redundant U.S. workers to a number of other developing markets, including Mexico, the Czech Republic, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates, according to the notice, which was obtained Monday by Information Week.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/management/outsourcing/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=213000389
Submitted by atheo on Tue, 2009-02-03 21:40
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... to a developing country when the developing country will come to you?
The beggars and the homeless are become a charming feature of American daily life as well and many people have already embraced Indian curry and Chinese fast food for economic reasons (which may not be too bad after all).
But its real. Crazy.
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"Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."
I should obviously have phrased my statement differently saying that the conditions of a developing country will soon be shared by the American population.
I thought that my second paragraph would make that clear.
Having said that the US regrettably seems to have started a race for the bottom so it is likely to pass India on the way down whilst the Indian economy is booming.
I have often visited India, and its development efforts are indeed very respectable. That being said there are still huge poverty problems in that country.
Just as I predicted over two years ago...
"People who are comfortable where they are DO NOT move."
If this doesn't wake people up I don't know what will...
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High Priests of Finance Plan World of Migrant Workers
While Congress is busy grandstanding before the American public, pretending to tackle immigration and labor issues with the cooperation of an oppressive Mexican government, the high priests of finance from the 25 member-nation EU and their counterparts from 13 Asian economies plan for a global economy based on dismantling protectionism and increasing migration.
One massive unprotected global labor camp.
At the expense of the middle class, of course - not the rich.
People must be healthy enough to work, but not wealthy enough that they have time to think.
By the time they're through with the world, there will be no such thing as public resources or the 'middle class.' Everyone will be a 'temp' or a migrant worker clamoring for sustenance from their elite industrialist overlords.
Immigration is not the problem. People who are comfortable where they are DO NOT move.
Global finance is a global problem that requires a global solution. But, we can start by striking at the heart of this grotesque financial edifice - the FED.
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"Money" has no value - people do.
one essential ingredient for families and civilizations to flourish is stability...i.e., ROOTS
I would not recommend that anyone move unless they absolutely must.
keeping people on the run is one of the most effective ways to keep them down.
the human value lost during any migration can never be recovered...
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"Money" has no value - people do.